We Don’t Need Board Training—Are You Sure?

If you’re a nonprofit board member and your Executive Director has suggested board training, your first reaction might be resistance.

You may think:

• We’ve been serving this organization for years.
• The nonprofit is doing well, why fix what isn’t broken?
• Training feels unnecessary or even insulting.

These reactions are understandable. But they also deserve a closer look.

 Board Experience Is Not the Same as Board Effectiveness

Many nonprofit board members are deeply committed, generous with their time, and passionate about the mission.  What’s often missing isn’t dedication, it’s clarity.

Nonprofit governance is a skill set.  It involves legal duties, financial oversight, strategic leadership, and accountability that change as an organization grows.  Serving on a board for a long time does not automatically mean you’ve been practicing strong governance the entire time.

Just as staff receive professional development, boards must also evolve.  Experience without reflection can quietly turn into blind spots.

 When the Organization Grows, Governance Must Grow Too

What worked when the nonprofit was small, volunteer-led, or lightly funded may no longer be appropriate when:

• Budgets increase.
• Staff roles expand.
• Grantors and regulators expect more sophistication.
• Risk exposure becomes more complex.

Board training isn’t about what you’ve done wrong, it’s about preparing for what’s next.

A board that governs the same way it did three or five years ago may unintentionally hold the organization back.

 What Your Executive Director Is Really Asking For

When your Executive Director asks for board training, it is not a criticism of your commitment or intelligence.  It is a request for alignment.

Most Executive Directors ask for board training because they are experiencing real, day-to-day challenges such as:

• Unclear roles between board and staff, leading to micromanagement or disengagement.
• Board meetings focused on operational details instead of strategy and mission impact.
• Inconsistent understanding of financial statements, risk, or compliance obligations
• Difficulty holding productive conversations about performance, priorities, or accountability.
• A board that governs based on past practices rather than current realities.

These issues make it harder, not easier, for the Executive Director to lead effectively.

Board training creates a shared framework, so everyone is operating from the same understanding of:

• What decisions belong to the board versus management?
• How the board adds value beyond approvals and reports.
• What effective oversight actually looks like at your organization’s current size and complexity?
• How the board and Executive Director work together as partners, not adversaries.

In short, your Executive Director is asking for the tools to work with you more effectively so the board can focus on leadership, not logistics.

 The Risk of Saying “No”

Boards that resist training often believe they are protecting their time.  In reality, they may be increasing risk by:

• Overlooking financial or compliance issues
• Focusing on day-to-day details instead of long-term strategy
• Straining the Executive Director–board relationship
• Making it harder to attract funders, partners, or future board members

Strong governance doesn’t happen by accident.  It requires intentional effort.

 Training Is a Sign of Strength, Not Weakness

High-performing boards in the corporate and nonprofit sectors invest in ongoing development.  They do this not because they are failing, but because they take their responsibilities seriously.

Board training:

• Aligns expectations.
• Reduces conflict.
• Improves decision-making.
• Protects the mission you care about.

Refusing training may feel like confidence.  Embracing it demonstrates leadership.

 A Question Worth Asking

Instead of asking, “Do we really need training?” consider this:

 Are we governing in a way that will best serve this organization in its next phase—not just the last one?

If the answer isn’t a confident yes, then board training isn’t a burden.

It’s an opportunity.